Category Archive

I am pleased to attach for your membership a copy of the Union Savings brochure, which outlines in
summary form the many savings that IAM members and their families can enjoy by virtue of their IAM
membership. These savings encompass many items that IAM households use in their daily living:
everything from travel discounts to entertainment and sporting events to household goods. Read Letter here…       Read Brochure here…

Electronic petition to the House of Commons – For OUR jobs, the maintenance of OUR aircraft in Canada! Take a few minutes to make a real difference. Read Bulletin here…

A grievance was filed last year to address the Company’s egregious decision to deny Clerical members the right to bump while the Canadian Government had been supplying the Company with the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). The Company had taken it upon itself to invalidate members right to bump under the Clerical Collective Agreement because of the Covid-19 global pandemic and the fact they were paying CEWS to members laid-off. Read Bulletin here…

Today marks exactly one year since the World Health Organization declared a worldwide pandemic.

This impact has been particularly devastating in the air transportation industry, where air travel both internationally and domestically has been drastically reduced. Air Canada has reported passenger levels that are less than 10% of just one year previously, and other air carriers such as Air Transat and Sunwing have been similarly affected. This has resulted in downstream impacts upon airport providers from ground services to wheelchairs to airport security screeners.  Read Letter here…

The Transportation District 140 Executive Board takes the health and wellbeing of our members seriously. Due to the current COVID-19 health pandemic concerns and with the provincial restrictions currently in place, the Transportation District 140 Convention previously scheduled for the month of April 2021 has now been postponed to a date to be determined. Read Bulletin here…

DL140 Bylaws Articles 5.08 to 5.10 (attached for reference).  Read here…

Your IAMAW Air Canada Pension Committee was flooded with enquiries from our members across the entire system during the last week concerning large reductions in the value of their pension benefits in the online Aeronet pension projector. Read Bulletin here…

We anticipate Arbitrator Ready’s ruling sometime this March or beginning of April. Update bulletins will be issued, as we see this round of negotiation to its conclusion. Read Bulletin here…

As a follow up to Bulletin No. 006 dated February 12, 2021, Arbitrator Corinn Bell has rendered her decision on the Union’s application for interim relief against Air Canada’s misuse of Article 20.14 – Off Duty Status.

Unfortunately, the Union’s application was unsuccessful. In her award dated February 18th, Arbitrator Bell goes into significant detail outlining the difficult three part legal test that must be met in order to grant interim relief and her rationale for the final decision. Read Bulletin here…

On February 17th, the Union proceeded with the grievance regarding Air Canada’s elimination of Category 38 workers at “B” stations, before Arbitrator Corinn Bell. Read Bulletin here…

On November 9th, an organizing campaign began at YOW after West Jet released which companies it awarded its above and below the wing services to at 34 airports across Canada. It included Strategic Aviation. Within a week, despite this pandemic, meaningful communications began, virtual information sessions were held, door to door card signing was conducted and an application was filed with the Labour Board.
Neither the Company nor their customer West Jet knew what hit them, or how the Unions Trojan Horse entered the barn so quickly. Read Bulletin here…

After discussing with the EFAP National Committee, we have decided to extend the Third-Party Counselling from Homewood Health Services. Access to these services will be extended to the end of 2021 and are available to all Air Canada employees and their dependents. This includes members on lay-off and off-duty status of the IAMAW.

Further, we have made arrangements for Homewood’s Services to include legal and financial counselling. The services for legal and financial will be capped at five sessions per family. This will allow for five hours of legal or financial advice from a lawyer in the field you are requesting or a financial counsellor. Read Bulletin here…

The Committee of General Chairpersons held a hearing in front of Arbitrator Corrin Bell on February 11, 2021, to make application for Interim Relief (Cease & Desist) for the company’s recent misuse of placing members on “Off Duty Status” per Article 20.14 of the TMOS Collective Agreement. Read Bulletin here…

On December 21, 2020, the IAMAW attended arbitration to have outstanding national issues heard, including the one-category grievances filed on behalf of members who were denied recall into Cabin Servicing & Cleaning Attendant classifications.

During the hearing, the parties entered into the mediation process with the assistance of Arbitrator Schmidt. It became apparent that Air Canada was unwilling to resolve the dispute via mediation. Read Bulletin here…

As a follow-up to Bulletin No. 1 dated January 8, 2021, the Union has made an application for interim relief as per the Collective Agreement and the Canada Labour Code.
The matter will be heard in front of Arbitrator Corinn Bell on Thursday, February 11, 2021, and the Union will be seeking a cease and desist order against Air Canada’s misuse of Article 20.14, “Off-Duty Status.”  Read Bulletin here…

Further to Bulletin No. 49 issued on September 16, 2020, District Lodge 140 has secured a date to hear the Category 38 Grievances. The matters will proceed to arbitration on February 17, 2021, in front of
Arbitrator Corinn Bell. Read Bulletin here…

This award concern a matter that is national in scope covering all affected stations represented in the Air Canada and IAMAW TMOS collective agreement (“Collective Agreement”). Grievances have been filed across the country alleging flagrant breaches of article 10 and Memorandum of Agreement No. 12 (“MOA 12”), which provisions address work schedules. They are reproduced in an appendix to this award. Read Arb here…

The IAM was advised this morning that Air Canada intends to use an extraordinary measure by placing approximately 284 IAM members on “off duty status” by invoking a “force majeure” provision contained within the collective agreement. The IAM categorically opposes the use of the “force majeure by placing our members on “off duty status” as it does not apply in the current situation. Air Canada is well outside the statute of limitations to use “force majeure”. The company announced 1,700 staff reductions across its operations throughout the country.

Force Majeure is an unforeseeable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract or an obligation. Read Press Release here…

It has come to my attention that the iam140efap.ca website contained incorrect information about the claim process. In the past, a member with a family plan was able to access $1500 over and above the $500 allotted by the company.

After consideration of this, the National EFAP Committee decided that this was not a fair
practice. The policy allowed for members with family plans to access more monies than
those members with single/no dependent plans. Read Bulletin here…

“I am far beyond disappointed to hear that the Canadian government has been providing wage subsidies (CEWS) to foreign-owned airlines who continue to fly into Canada!”

That was the reaction of Canadian General Vice President Stan Pickthall, when news dropped that a dozen foreign-owned airlines have been granted CEWS relief despite having already received billions of dollars in relief from their own governments. The CEWS database shows
precisely which corporations are receiving the benefit financed by Canadian taxpayers: https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/cews/srch/pub/bscSrch

Today, Air Canada advised District Lodge 140 of their intention to place additional employees on off-duty status as per Article 20.14 of the Collective Agreement. For now, the majority of the affected Members come from the Atlantic Region and all come from Airports/Cargo. Labour Relations further advised that additional ODS will also be applied in Tech-Ops at a later date but did not provide detail.Read Bulletin here…